NYU Langone Partners With National Women’s Hockey League

Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed. • Tue, October 18th, 2016

NYU Langone Medical Center will officially bring its expertise to the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). The two entities will partner, with NYU Langone serving as the official hospital for the league and providing care throughout the 2016-17 season.

“Forming this partnership with an elite medical institution like the NYU Langone Medical Center is a giant step forward for our league, ” said NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan in the September 30, 2016 news release. “We are grateful to NYU Langone for its support of women’s hockey and look forward to working with them to maximize the health and safety of our players and to promote wellness throughout the sport of ice hockey.”

Said Andrew Feldman, M.D., clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, who is medical director for the league: “This partnership provides a unique opportunity to establish continuity of care for these athletes, and the first pairing of a professional league with a major academic medical center, dedicated to the complete health and wellness of the players, "

The NWHL will collaborate with NYU Langone to bring players to pediatric programs at the Medical Center and run three community ice hockey programs over the course of the 2016-2017 season. NWHL and NYU Langone will develop programs for girls’ youth ice hockey athletes that teach safe and healthy participation.

“Through this partnership, we hope to not only provide high quality medical care to the elite athletes of the NWHL, but also to develop research projects to inform medical guidance for all women and girls hockey players of all ages and levels of competition, ” said Laith Jazrawi, M.D., associate professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of the Division of Sports Medicine at NYU Langone.

Dr. Jazrawi, M.D. told OTW, “The evaluation of hockey injuries and its impact on female athletes is lacking. The ability to oversee medical care for the league provides us with the ability to determine injury incidence, determine what is unique to female athlete in relationship to hockey (i.e., do they have same number of increased ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] injuries as is seen in soccer compared to male athletes), track concussion incidence and impact is it different compared to male athletes, and find out if female hockey players are more prone to certain injuries (once we learn which ones are, then we can implement prevention strategies).”

Dr. Feldman told OTW, “This is a maiden voyage so to speak. This process has never been attempted before and many challenges await us. Most importantly is getting all teams ‘on board’ and systemizing protocols, team by team, in order to streamline the players treatment. Continuity of care will be a priority league wide so each team has the same systems and standards. This is the key to better management of player injuries.”

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NYU Langone: Official Docs for NY Empire, Mylan TeamTennis

Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed. • Wed, August 31st, 2016

Injured players on two New York sports teams will be fortunate to have local experts on hand to help. It’s now official…NYU Langone Medical Center will serve as the official Medical Center and team doctors for the New York Empire season and the Mylan World TeamTennis.

"We welcome NYU Langone Medical Center to our growing team of partners, " said Colleen Hopkins, Empire general manager, in the news release. "Mylan World TeamTennis has always been about best in class relationships, and there are no better partners to have on the medical side than the doctors and staff of one of the world's elite facilities."

Dennis Cardone, D.O., will oversee the partnership as team physician. Dr. Cardone is an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, chief of primary care sports medicine, and co-director of the Concussion Center at NYU Langone. He also serves as the head team physician for the athletic programs at NYU and Long Island University, the chief medical officer for the New York City Public Schools Athletic League, and as a team physician for the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

"We are looking forward to helping keep the elite players of the Empire healthy and on the court during the season, " said Dr. Cardone.

As indicated in the news release, “The 2016 Mylan WTT season presented by GEICO season marks a return to professional tennis at one of the sport's most historic facilities. The restored facility will be configured to seat 2, 500 for six home matches from July 31 through August 13. Patrick McEnroe will serve as the coach of the Empire, and former US Open champion Andy Roddick will be the team's marquee player along with New Jersey native, former Olympian and rising WTA star Christina McHale.”

Dr. Cardone recently told OTW, “The most exciting aspect of being involved with the NY Empire in World Team Tennis is being in a great environment with elite tennis players. It’s always a great joy to work with athletes at the top of their games and try to keep them at their healthiest. As a physician if you get to cover tennis, on the court coverage is hopefully not that busy when it comes to injuries, but I am there in the event of a musculoskeletal injury or other issue that might occur, such as an upper respiratory infection or heat illness.

NYU Langone's Ball Raises $1.3 Million+

Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed. • Mon, December 4th, 2017

NYU Langone Health, based in New York, New York, has an additional $1.3 million or so to put towards caring for patients. The source? A gala known as the annual Musculoskeletal Ball, this year held on November 14, 2017 at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.

Robert I. Grossman, M.D., the Saul J. Farber Dean and CEO of NYU Langone said; "It's a thrill to celebrate our first Musculoskeletal Ball as NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital and NYU Langone Orthopedic Center. These new names reflect our continuing integration as an institution, and speak philosophically to our larger goal of providing a seamless continuum of care for our patients."

Patrick A. Meere, M.D., was one of the evening’s honorees. Dr. Meere, who is a knee and hip surgeon and co-director of the orthopedic robotic surgery program, specializes in developing and using advanced techniques and emerging technologies, such as robotic-assisted surgery and sensors for smart implants. According to a spokesman for NYU, “He leads NYU Langone's same day and rapid discharge initiative for people who require knee surgery. With the goal of improving care for his patients, Dr. Meere founded and co-leads the Advanced Arthroplasty Research Laboratory, where he studies joint replacement in collaboration with researchers at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital and faculty at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.”

“Also honored was Tarek Sherif and his wife, Sophie Nicholson, for their support of a wide range of social causes including the International Women's Health Coalition, Students on Ice, Partnership Fund for New York City, and Defy Ventures. Sophie and Tarek are also avid supporters of NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, where Tarek is a member of the Musculoskeletal Advisory Board.”

“A co-founder of Medidata Solutions, Tarek Sherif has served as CEO since 2001 and chairman since 2009. Tarek has led Medidata from startup to a leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for clinical research. Sophie Nicholson's career has focused on the life sciences industry; clinical development was the focus of her efforts with Amgen, where she worked on novel cancer therapies.”

0% Complication Rate! NYU Pioneers Closure Technique

Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed. • Fri, August 28th, 2015

Thanks to the vision of clinician-researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, scoliosis patients who undergo surgery can now emerge from the OR with less chance of an infection. The NYU team has developed a new wound closure technique whereby the surgeon can close several layers of muscle and fascia while maintaining blood supply from the donor site to the recipient site. The new closure method has been on the rise at NYU Langone since 2009, and is a collaborative effort between the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Plastic Surgery.

“This game-changing method for closing incisions after surgery can benefit all patients with scoliosis, especially those most at risk for complications depending on the cause of their spine problems, ” says corresponding study author David S. Feldman, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery and pediatrics at NYU Langone, in the August 20, 2015 news release. “All of our patients with scoliosis—from the basic to most complex cases—can feel confident knowing their safety is our top priority.”

This retrospective study, published online this past July in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, involves a multilayered flap that, according to the news release, “reduces complication rates by eliminating ‘dead space, ’ or pockets around spinal hardware and fusion sites where infection can start. The technique also creates a better barrier to separate surgical hardware and bone grafts from the skin’s surface.”

Included in the study were 76 patients aged 8 to 25 years, with non-idiopathic scoliosis who had undergone a posterior spinal fusion surgery; 42 patients had their incisions closed using conventional techniques, while 34 underwent the new flap technique. While roughly 19% of patients who experienced the conventional closure methods had a wound complication, those who underwent the new, multilayered muscle flap closure method experienced a 0% complication rate.

According to the news release, patients with non-idiopathic scoliosis (curve caused by underlying disease) are 25-76% more likely to experience complications following spinal fusion and 4-23% more likely to have an infection, compared to those with idiopathic scoliosis.

First Outpatient Hip Replacement in NYC

Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.P.H., M.Ed. • Mon, March 9th, 2015

NYU Langone Medical Center has become the first academic medical center in New York City to initiate an outpatient hip replacement program! Roy I. Davidovitch, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of the Hip Center at NYU Langone, performed a minimally invasive anterior approach hip replacement in January; two additional patients have successfully undergone the surgery.

“With advances in soft-tissue-sparing techniques such as the anterior approach and innovative pain management protocols, patients are able to recuperate in the comfort of their own homes, much like they do after outpatient arthroscopy procedures like an ACL reconstruction, ” said Dr. Davidovitch in the March 2, 2015 news release. “The goal of this new approach is to return patients to their normal level of activity as quickly as possible and minimize the discomfort of surgery.”

Dr. Davidovitch accesses the femur through a three-inch incision in the front of the hip joint. He does not have to cut muscles and tendon, meaning that postop pain is reduced. Because of this, patients can begin to move around right away.

According to the news release, “Surgery for patients who meet criteria for outpatient anterior approach total hip replacement usually is concluded by 9:00AM, giving them sufficient time to recover and mobilize in the hospital before walking out with an assist device by the early afternoon. A visiting nurse and physical therapist visit the patient at home the day after surgery, and intermittently over the following two weeks. Ultimately, the patient can be back to their normal activity level within six weeks.”

“I would not have been able to perform this surgical feat without the multidisciplinary care approach that underlies treatment at an academic medical center such as NYU Langone, ” Dr. Davidovitch says. “We worked together with anesthesiology, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and social work to ensure this recent success, and we hope to emulate it and make it as much a part of our hip replacement program as possible.”

Bundled Payments Big Success, According to Study

Biloine W. Young • Mon, March 21st, 2016

Will bundled payments do for the costs of joint and hip replacement surgeries what Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) wants them to do? According to the results from a three-year pilot study conducted by New York University’s Langone Medical Center, they will and they do.

Last year CMS put together a bundled payment model for these surgeries to begin on April 1, 2016. Hospitals in 67 markets would be involved and required to meet specified savings. If they exceeded them, according to The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC.com) writer Mary Caffrey, they would be eligible for bonuses. If they fell short, they would have to repay Medicare part of their fee.

To test the procedures and assumptions that went into this policy, CMS selected NYU Langone to be a pilot site for the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement initiative.

Caffrey quotes Richard Iorio, M.D., lead author of the study and professor of orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone, explaining how they went about the task. “Key stakeholders and physicians across all areas of NYU Langone had to work together to create new protocols and guidelines to standardize care and ensure all patients had the necessary resources before a surgery takes place, and once at home to ensure the most optimal recovery possible.”

So how did it all work out? The study’s investigators reported that the average length of stay dropped from 3.58 days, to 2.96 days. Discharges to inpatient rehab or other care centers fell from 44% to 28%. Readmissions at 30 days decreased from 7% to 5%; from 11% to 6.1% at 60 days and from 13% to 7.7% at 90 days.

According to Caffrey, “the average cost per episode fell from $34, 249 to $27, 541 from the first year to the third year. Most of these savings came from keeping patients out of inpatient rehabilitation centers. This single cost fell from $6, 228 at baseline to $742 in the third quarter of 2014.”

Medicare officials have long looked for a way to reduce the length of hospital stays and the associated costs of hip and knee replacement.